Vacation Without PR Card

[jface]

I am a US citizen with a US passport. I became a Canadian permanent resident in June and am currently waiting on my PR card. At the landing, I was quoted 6-8 weeks to receive the card. My wife and I booked a vacation to Aruba for September with this in mind. I called to hear the status of my PR card and the call centre agent said it would take 69 working days to process it, which is after my vacation. I am wondering if I would receive any complications in going on my vacation as planned and show my record of landing to immigration when I arrive in Canada. The trip has a layover in Atlanta Georgia both ways. I also still have a valid work visa that I was using prior to gaining PR status.

 

[scylla]

You can return without your PR card since you're visa exempt. If you're asking any questions at immigration when re-entering Canada - just tell them you're a new PR who is still waiting for the PR card to be issued.

FYI - your work permit is no longer valid. It was effectively canceled when you became a PR.

 

[jface]

Thanks for the reply.

Will I need to provide Delta with any documentation of being a PR, or is the US passport all they care about?

 

[scylla]

Thanks for the reply.

Will I need to provide Delta with any documentation of being a PR, or is the US passport all they care about?

The US passport is all they care about.

My husband travels very extensively. And since becoming a PR, the only airline that has ever asked to see his PR card was Korean Air when we were flying Incheon / Toronto.

 

[frege]

Thanks for the reply.

Will I need to provide Delta with any documentation of being a PR, or is the US passport all they care about?

In theory, there is a risk that the airline will ask to see the PR card, and turn you down if you don't have one.

In this case, you'll have two options:

1. Obtain a "permanent resident travel document" at a Canadian visa application centre or visa office abroad, before travel. This can be done by post or in person. In person at a visa office, it's quick; by post or at a VAC it can take a long time. (There's a VAC in Caracas, Venezuela, but the visa office is in Mexico City.)

2. Make your way to a Canadian border post by private transportation. For example, if you're heading to Toronto, fly to Buffalo and then cross on foot at Niagara Falls, or be driven across.

According to Scylla, in practice airlines rarely ask for this from US citizens, although they're supposed to. So it sounds like there's only a tiny chance you'd be denied boarding.

If you've already paid for everything, you might just take a chance, and if anything goes wrong, deal with it only then. Option 2 would be simplest if your flight fell through, since there is no nearby visa office.

 

[keesio]

I am curious about this also. My wife will land in September and we have vacation plans to go to Europe (direct from Toronto) in October via Air Canada, before her PR card arrives. I was worried about Canada allowing her back into the country without her PR and is hoping that her US passport and record of landing paper would be fine. I didn't think about the airlines themselves. However, I have a US passport (I'm a Canadian PR) and I've traveled abroad many times and I can't recall if I've ever been asked to show my PR card at the gate.

 

[keesio]

In theory, there is a risk that the airline will ask to see the PR card, and turn you down if you don't have one.

In this case, you'll have two options:

1. Obtain a "permanent resident travel document" at a Canadian visa application centre or visa office abroad, before travel. This can be done by post or in person. In person at a visa office, it's quick; by post or at a VAC it can take a long time. (There's a VAC in Caracas, Venezuela, but the visa office is in Mexico City.)

2. Make your way to a Canadian border post by private transportation. For example, if you're heading to Toronto, fly to Buffalo and then cross on foot at Niagara Falls, or be driven across.

According to Scylla, in practice airlines rarely ask for this from US citizens, although they're supposed to. So it sounds like there's only a tiny chance you'd be denied boarding.

If you've already paid for everything, you might just take a chance, and if anything goes wrong, deal with it only then. Option 2 would be simplest if your flight fell through, since there is no nearby visa office.

Hi ferge,
Regarding #1 - you mentioned in person it is quick. How quick?

I'm also concerned about customs if arriving by flight. Do you think customs would give my wife a hard time trying to enter Canada with just her US passport if they know she is a landed resident? I'm wondering if we'll need to do #2 because of customs/immigration issues at the border.

Thanks

 

[frege]

Hi ferge,
Regarding #1 - you mentioned in person it is quick. How quick?

I'm also concerned about customs if arriving by flight. Do you think customs would give my wife a hard time trying to enter Canada with just her US passport if they know she is a landed resident? I'm wondering if we'll need to do #2 because of customs/immigration issues at the border.

Thanks

To be clear, these problems arise because the airline denies boarding, not because the person is denied entry once at the airport in Canada. The problem is if you admit to the airline that you're a permanent resident or they notice the immigrant stamp in your passport.

It's best to have the passport and COPR, although I imagine a passport alone will work provided the COPR has been entered correctly into their computer systems.

I don't think it will have any consequences for her. In theory they could get upset at the airline, but based on what Scylla said, it sounds like they don't make a fuss when the traveller is from a visa-exempt country. In that case the person is allowed in whether they're a PR or not, so there's not really any point to the system.

My wife's in-person application for a travel document was processed on the same day in Paris. You have to go to an actual visa office (not a visa application centre). London also usually processes it on the same day. The fee was $75, I think.

The information on the Paris website made it sound like we needed a bank draft in Canadian dollars from a Canadian bank. When we got there they said no, in person they take cash, and they knew that the website was wrong. In any case, make sure you leave home with the correct documents for the application.

 

[PMM]

Hi

To be clear, these problems arise because the airline denies boarding, not because the person is denied entry once at the airport in Canada. The problem is if you admit to the airline that you're a permanent resident or they notice the immigrant stamp in your passport.

It's best to have the passport and COPR, although I imagine a passport alone will work provided the COPR has been entered correctly into their computer systems.

I don't think it will have any consequences for her. In theory they could get upset at the airline, but based on what Scylla said, it sounds like they don't make a fuss when the traveller is from a visa-exempt country. In that case the person is allowed in whether they're a PR or not, so there's not really any point to the system.

My wife's in-person application for a travel document was processed on the same day in Paris. You have to go to an actual visa office (not a visa application centre). London also usually processes it on the same day. The fee was $75, I think.

The information on the Paris website made it sound like we needed a bank draft in Canadian dollars from a Canadian bank. When we got there they said no, in person they take cash, and they knew that the website was wrong. In any case, make sure you leave home with the correct documents for the application.

Keep in mind that the Visa Officers (PAFSO) are on strike, so don't expect 1 day service most offices.

 

[frege]

Hi


Keep in mind that the Visa Officers (PAFSO) are on strike, so don't expect 1 day service most offices.

Good point.

 

[Alurra71]

If you don't mention being a Canadian PR at all, they will only look at your US passport, see you are obviously visa exempt and not see a problem.

If you mention you are Canadian PR, they might then ask for your PR card and could potentially deny you boarding of the plane when you can not produce it.

I would just let them see your US passport and leave it at that. If they ask you your citizenship, you are STILL a US Citizen and will remain so unless you specifically renounce it.

Pretty simple, really.

 

[frege]

If you don't mention being a Canadian PR at all, they will only look at your US passport, see you are obviously visa exempt and not see a problem.

If you mention you are Canadian PR, they might then ask for your PR card and could potentially deny you boarding of the plane when you can not produce it.

I would just let them see your US passport and leave it at that. If they ask you your citizenship, you are STILL a US Citizen and will remain so unless you specifically renounce it.

Pretty simple, really.

Normally a recent PR will have an immigrant stamp (marked I) in their passport, which could be noticed by an astute airline employee. I have no idea how likely this is to happen, but the chances would surely be higher if flying with a Canadian airline.

 

[jface]

I will be going through with the trip whether or not I get the PR card. Even if I get the PR card, I'll bring it along and not mention it just to see how Delta handles it. I will report back after my vacation (mid september). Thanks for all of your feedback.

 

[keesio]

Thanks jface. Have a good trip!

 

[jface]

Just got back from vacation two days ago. Here's what happened:

Leaving from Canada to US, only passport requested
Connecting flight from US to Aruba, only passport requested
Leaving from Aruba to US, only passport requested
Arriving in Toronto, passport and PR Card requested at immigration (as expected)

Incidentally, I received my PR card a week before leaving. But as many have said before, if you make it to Canada, a lack of PR card shouldn't be a problem.